COVID-19 has been a destructive force to our lives, livelihood and our families. The last thing a person who is suffering from COVID-19 needs to fear while battling this condition is for their financial well-being. They need to be able to focus on fighting the potentially deadly virus. I am grateful to have the opportunity to assist in educating individuals on whether they can file a disability claim if they do get infected with COVID-19.

I have personally known two individuals who have been infected with COVID-19. COVID-19 infected one of my acquaintances and he showed no symptoms. He tested positive after a family member tested also positive for the virus. At this juncture, he is being quarantined, but the virus has had no impact on his ability to function. The mandatory quarantine has certainly prevented him from working, but the issue remains whether he could perform his occupation during the mandatory quarantine. The next individual I personally knew who was infected by the virus was my grandmother. She succumbed to the coronavirus five days after being diagnosed. I mention these two individuals to illustrate the extremes to which COVID-19 can affect an individual. Clearly, the virus can be deadly; however, it also could have limited to no impact on an individual’s ability to function.